The present invention relates to an operating panel which is conveniently used for a switch station in electronic equipment such as an audio equipment tuner or amplifier.
Many switches are arranged on an operating panel which is mounted on the front panel of a metal casing of a tuner, an amplifier or the like. With a recent demand for smaller audio equipment or the like, it is required to arrange these switches as close as possible. However, conventional operating panels are of a construction in which each switch has its own operating member, so that it is difficult to arrange these switches close to each other. In equipment of this type, the front panel and the operating panel are generally made of metal plates for the purpose of attaining luxurious appearance and better mechanical strength. Typically, the operating parts of the switches mounted on the operating panel are made of synethetic resin, such that these operating parts must be plated with a metal so as to avoid poor appearance. This results in higher manufacturing cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an operating panel in which a number of operating parts can be arranged close to each other without rendering the manufacturing process complex and the manufacturing cost higher.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an operating panel which has a luxurious appearance.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the invention.